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BREAKING NEWS: GOP reclaims State Senate Majority after coup by dissident dems
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FILE PHOTO: HARRIS/EXAMINER
Democrats are back in the minority in the New York State Senate after an apparent coup, ExaminerNY.com has learned.
After their historic victory on Election Day, there was much political manuevering and closed-door negotiations to ensure that all 32 Democratic State Senators would rally behind State Senator Malcolm Smith as the Majority Leader and President of the Senate and in January a compromise was reached and Smith's colleagues unanimously elected him as the leader of their party in the Senate Chamber and as President Pro Tempore. The election of smith was historic as it represented the first time since 1965 that Democrats controlled the Senate and Smith became the first black man ever to ascend to the the position of Senate Majority Leader.
Less than six months later, that hard-fought victory on the part of Democrats came to a bitter end in Albany, as two Democratic dissidents switched sides, deciding to caucus with Republicans and in an apparent coup, ousting State Senator Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.
The flip of senators Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens gives Republicans a 32-30 edge in the chamber.
Turns out the real joke is on Espada's Democrat colleagues in the Senate after he and Monserrate, who has been indicted for attacking his girlfriend, sold out Senate Democrats and voted with the Republicans to make Rockville Sen. Dean Skelos the new majority leader.
Espada was elected President pro tempore of the Senate, which means that if something happens to Gov.ernor David A. Paterson, he steps in.
During the coup, Democrats fled the chamber, turned out the lights, and cut off the Internet feed of chamber proceedings, leaving Republicans and their two Democratic friends to take the vote in the dark.
It's likely the Democrats will appeal, but Republicans say everything was done by the rulebook.
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